The hulk wiped blood from his knuckles with the back of his hand, then turned those dead eyes toward Victor. Close to seven feet, shoulders broad enough to block doorways, and scars crisscrossing his torso like a roadmap of violence. The kind of brute who'd crush skulls for sport.
Just the two of us then. Victor's lips curved. Really fucking nice.
The crowd's roar faded to white noise as he studied his opponent's stance. The man favored his left leg, old injury, probably. His guard dropped low, relying on reach and mass rather than technique. Street fighter, not a trained killer. Victor had gutted plenty of those in Saint Petersburg.
The man bellowed something wordless and charged.
Victor sidestepped, letting momentum carry the giant past him. As the massive frame lumbered by, Victor leaped onto the man's back, wrapping his arm around the thick neck. His legs locked around the giant's waist while his forearm pressed into the windpipe.
The hulk bucked like an angry bull, reaching back with ham-sized fists. Victor ducked one swing, took a glancing blow from the other that rattled his teeth. He tightened his grip, feeling the pulse hammering beneath skin and muscle.
Thick fingers grabbed Victor's shoulder, peeling him loose with raw strength. The world spun as the giant hurled him to the ground. Victor's back slammed into the dirt, driving the air from his lungs.
The hulk's boot descended toward his skull. Victor twisted, catching the man's ankle and wrenching sideways. The giant stumbled, and Victor rolled away, coming up in a crouch.
The big man found his balance, turned, and Victor drove his heel into the side of his knee. Cartilage popped. The hulk dropped to one knee with a grunt, clutching the joint.
Victor didn't waste the opening. He lunged forward, hammering his fist into the man's temple. Once, twice, three times. The hulk swayed but stayed upright, so Victor grabbed a handful of hair and drove his knee into that scarred face. Blood sprayed from the giant's nose.
The crowd screamed louder, but Victor barely heard them. His knuckles split against bone and cartilage as he pounded the hulk's skull, each blow accompanied by wet thuds and the crunch of breaking teeth.
But the giant's forehead crashed into Victor's skull like a sledgehammer. Stars exploded across his vision as he staggered backward, the world tilting sideways. His legs turned to water beneath him.
Fuck. Fuck.
Before Victor could clear his head, massive fists hammered into his ribs. One. Two. Three devastating blows that sent shockwaves through his chest. His breath came in ragged gasps as cartilage cracked. Another punch caught his jaw, snapping his head sideways.
The hulk's boot slammed into Victor's stomach, launching him backward. He flew a full few meters before hitting the dirt, blood streaming from his mouth. The taste of copper flooded his tongue as he rolled onto his side, spitting crimson into the sand.
Can't die here. Without enough points left for another resurrection.
Victor forced himself to his knees, every muscle screaming protest. The giant lumbered toward him, blood still pouring from his broken nose but moving like the damage meant nothing. Victor's ribs felt like broken glass shifting inside his chest with each breath.
He's barely scratched. I'm dying.
The crowd's roar became a distant buzz as Victor pushed himself upright, swaying on unsteady legs. His vision blurred, but he spotted his target, those dead, confident eyes staring down at him.
One shot.
Victor launched himself forward just as the hulk charged. They collided in the center of the pit, but Victor leaped at the last second, driving his fist into the man's temple. The giant's massive hands clamped around Victor's torso, muscles bulging as he prepared to hurl him to the ground.
Victor sank his teeth into the man's wrist, biting through skin and muscle until warm blood filled his mouth. The hulk screamed, his grip loosening just enough. Victor tore away a chunk of flesh and spat it aside before scrambling up the giant's frame like a spider.
His legs locked around the thick neck while his thumb found the left eye socket. Victor drove his finger deep, feeling the wet resistance give way. The eyeball burst under pressure.
The hulk's shriek split the air as he began pounding Victor's back with both fists. Each blow felt like getting hit with a club, but Victor held on, grinding his thumb deeper into the ruined socket.
The hulk reared back and slammed his skull, with Victor still clinging to it, straight into the ground. Victor's spine compressed like an accordion, vertebrae grinding against each other as his back struck the packed earth. Something snapped inside his chest with an audible crack.
Victor's grip loosened. The giant bucked him off, sending him rolling through the dirt as pain exploded through his torso. Blood pooled in his mouth as he gasped for air that wouldn't come.
The hulk staggered to his feet, one eye socket a ruined crater, blood streaming down his face. Victor forced himself up, ribs screaming protest with every movement. They circled each other like wounded animals.
The giant swung first. Victor ducked under the haymaker and drove his fist into the man's solar plexus. The hulk grunted but responded with a cross that caught Victor's cheek, splitting skin to the bone. Victor retaliated with an uppercut that snapped the giant's head back.
They traded blows in the center of the pit, each strike accompanied by the wet slap of flesh on flesh. But the hulk's reach advantage told. A devastating right hook sent Victor sprawling.
The giant pounced, massive fists hammering down like pistons. Victor covered his head as blow after blow rained down, each impact driving him deeper into the dirt. Dust clouds rose around them, obscuring the violence. His skull rang like a bell with every strike.
The pounding stopped. The hulk straightened, chest heaving as he stared down at what he assumed was Victor's corpse.
Victor's head emerged from the dust cloud like a specter. Blood caked his face, turning him into something inhuman. The giant's working eye widened in shock.
Victor launched himself upward, driving his fist into the man's throat. The hulk gagged, stumbling backward. Victor swept his legs, sending the massive frame crashing to the ground. He grabbed the giant's wrist and twisted until bones popped like kindling.
The hulk tried swinging with his free arm, but Victor stomped down on his kneecap. The joint bent sideways with a sickening crunch. The giant's scream died in his throat as shock set in.
Victor crawled onto the man's chest and drove his thumb into the remaining eye socket. The orb burst like a grape, warm fluid streaming between his fingers. He grabbed the giant's skull with both hands and began slamming his forehead into the man's face.
Again. Again. Again. Blood sprayed across Victor's features as bone gave way beneath his assault. The hulk's struggles grew weaker with each impact until only twitching remained.
Victor's legs shook as he pushed himself upright, every muscle fiber screaming. Blood dripped from his split knuckles onto the giant's motionless chest. He pressed his boot against the thick throat and bore down, feeling cartilage collapse beneath his weight. The hulk's body jerked once, then went still.
His breathing came in ragged gasps, each inhale sending fire through his cracked ribs. The crowd's roar felt distant, muffled, like voices from another world. Victor's vision swam, dark spots dancing at the edges as he swayed on unsteady feet.
Then he heard it, the scrape of boots on stone, whispered voices echoing from the tunnel mouths that ringed the pit. Shadows moved in the darkness beyond the light.
Three figures emerged from separate passages, spreading out in a loose semicircle. Street rats, all of them. Thin frames wrapped in patched leather, knives glinting in their hands. Their eyes darted between Victor's bloodied form and the giant's corpse, calculating odds.
The leftmost one, a wiry kid with hollow cheeks, licked his lips. His gaze lingered on the way Victor's arm hung loose at his side.
"Looks like the big man's done," the kid whispered to his companions. "Fresh meat."
Victor straightened despite the agony clawing through his torso. Blood streamed from the gash on his cheek, pooling at his jawline before dripping onto the sand. His left eye had swollen nearly shut, but the right tracked each movement as the scavengers positioned themselves.
He raised his fists, the motion sending lightning through his damaged ribs. His stance wobbled, feet struggling to find solid ground beneath him. But his lips pulled back in a crimson grin that made the closest fighter take a half-step backward.
"Come then," Victor rasped, his voice like gravel. "Let's finish this…"
The three street rats exchanged glances. They'd watched him tear apart a giant twice their size, but they could see the damage written across his frame. The way his breathing hitched. How his guard dropped slightly every few seconds.
The hollow-cheeked kid shifted his knife to a reverse grip. "Three on one. He's half-dead already."